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Re: Image Submission - "statement of purpose"

PetPromos56.jpgSurely.
Hopefully the image is coming through - if not, it's a b/w of a same-sex couple and their dog.

It would go something like this:
This photograph was made for the clients to celebrate their two-year commitment anniversary, celebrated by purchasing Pearl, their new Jack Russel Terrier. This image was part of a series, made to be displayed as a medium-sized mantle print, later purchased by the couple. The photograph was lit with a 30x60 softbox on camera right, a strip-light kicker camera left, and a hairlight bouncing off the ceiling above the subjects to provide sufficient separation between the light white of the shirts and the light gray background.

Re: Image Submission - "statement of purpose"

They don't need to be quite that detailed

A simple "family portrait session with new baby" or "senior portrait session" or "candid from golf event" or something of that sort is sufficient. Keep in mind that the judges are reviewing 100+ submissions during each judging session, each with 20 images, so unless it's needed, they're probably not going to stop to read a paragraph worth of information on each image. The statement of purpose can help a judge make a determination on how to critique the image (for example, if it's from an event, and it's a candid, it will be viewed differently than a portrait in the studio where everything is under your control). So, a concise statement of purpose can be of great help to the judges. Does that make sense?

Re: Image Submission - "statement of purpose"

"I know the image is not technically correct, but my client insisted I do it this way with the clothing they chose"

Good way to get 5 rejections

Michael Gan,M.Photog.Cr. CPP,Meritage House of Photography

If your business depends on you, you don't own a business-you have a job. And it's the worst job in the world because you're working for a lunatic... You can't close it when you want to, because if it's closed you don't get paid. You can't leave it when you want to, because if you leave there's nobody there to do the work. You can't sell it when you want to, because who wants to buy a job?—Michael Gerber

Re: Image Submission - "statement of purpose"

The statement of purpose is more about why you're submitting it rather than why you took it--what certification requirement is the image intended to satisfy.

"Portrait."
"Wedding."
"Commercial."

Or maybe "Studio Portrait" and "Available Light Portrait."

I don't know how the "compulsory image" function is going to work out, but I'd guess for those images you might say "Broadlight Portrait" or "Shortlight Portrait."

But as Michael said, do not try to explain away anything about the image, nor should you try to explain the history leading up to the image. If you had to do something dumb because the client wanted it that way, don't use that image.

Last edited by KirkDarling; 08-20-2010 at 07:21 PM.

--Elephants can swim......and very gracefully. Knowing that, I do believe Anything is possible for me.